Woodworking Shop Setup
Setting Up Shop - part 1
March 6, 2007
This coming weekend I am going to begin setting up my own woodworking shop finally. Well, truthfully, it’s more like a corner of the garage with a bunch of tools stuffed in there, but hey, I can call it whatever I want, right?!
The main thing I think is to start with a clean space. Then you can adequately plan for where you want the biggest pieces of equipment to go, and so on. I intend to use the back wall of the garage to setup my tools, build my new bench, and add lighting and extra outlets. Once the area is clean, I will measure out what I have to work with, and I will be able to see where I can attach lights, run cords, and store my other tools and wood supplies.
The garage is a double, and I love parking my car in there in the winter, but I may have to sacrifice my space so I can have enough room for my shop. Ideally you wouldn’t want your shop in the garage for several reasons; it’s hard to regulate the temperature, so any wood stock you may have can expand and contract more than if it was in a stable environment; in the middle of the winter in Ohio it can get really cold, and spending a long time on a project in a cold garage is the surest way to be uncomfortable and to start resenting the whole thing; garages are best for storing cars, not heaps of power tools.
Ultimately I will have a contractor-grade table saw, a router table, a large, functional homemade workbench, shelves, cabinets, lighting, and wood storage, all in one main area. I already have the table saw, the router table kit, some cabinets, a portable work light, and most of the tools for the shop. One can always add more tools to their arsenal, but I am starting small and planning to add only when I need things to complete a project.
That’s it for part 1, check back next week for part 2 which will hopefully cover the beginnings of the new shop itself. 
posted in Articles In Series, Woodworking | 0 Comments